Allison



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

0. W. & (LALLISON. METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR DISENTANGLING GUT TOBACCONo. 575,774.

Patented Jan. 26, 1897.

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(No Model.)

0. W. & 0. ALLISON. METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR DISENTANGLING GUTTOBACCO. No. 575,774.

Patented Jan. 26, 1897.

' lllllllllill \lllllllllllll IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

OSCAR WV. ALLISON AND CAROLINE ALLISON, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR DISENTANGLING .CUT TOBACCO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 575,774, dated January26, 1897. Application filed May 11, 1896. Serial No. 591,198. (Nomodel.)

T on whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, OSCAR W. ALLISON and CAROLI E ALLISON, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe andState of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Methodsof and Apparatus for Disentangling Out Tobacco,of which the followingisa specification.

This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for heating, drying,and disentangling out tobacco.

In preparing cut smoking-tobacco the tobacco-leaves are moistened andthen cut up and dried. When such cut tobacco is cold and dry, it isbrittle, and in this condition the operation of opening or disentanglingthe aggregations or bunches of fibers results in breaking up orcom'min-uting a considerable portion of the fibers, which isobjectionable because it produces short fragments of tobacco.

The object of our invention is to effect a separation of theaggregations of fibers and to loosen the fibers uniformly without dangerof shortening the same by breaking or cutting.

Like letters of reference refer to like partsin the several figures.

A is the heating-drum or drier, in which the first operation of heatingand disentangling the fibers is performed. As shown in the drawings,this drier is slightly inclined rearwardly and rotatably supported byrollers a a, mounted on the main frame A and engaging with annularflanges a on the drum. The drum may be rotated in the direction of thearrow, Fig. 2, by any suitable means, preferably by a gear=wheel a,secured to one of the roller-shafts and meshing with a gear-rim c on thedrum.

nected with the outlet ends of the several coils and journaled in ahollow bearing d. The sleeve is provided with outlet-openings d withinthe hollow bearing, and the latter is provided with a drain-pipe d forthe escape of the water of condensation.

Upon turning the drum the tobacco is picked up by the steam-coils as thelatter pass upwardly on one side of the drum and drops from'the coils asthey reach the upper portion of the drum, thereby exposing all portionsof the tobacco to the heat of the coils and heating and drying the same.

In order to disentangle the tobacco at the same time that it is beingheated and dried, the inner side of the drum is preferably provided inany suitable manner with combing or separating teeth e, which areadapted to engage with the tobacco as it is tumbled around in the drumand separate or disentangle the bunches of fibers, shreds, or strands. Arow of these teeth is preferably arranged in connection with each setofsteam-coils near the inner edge of each coil, so that the tobacco, afterhaving been lifted, falls upon and between these teeth and is operatedupon by the same. Each row of teeth is preferably secured to a bar 6',which is secured to the brackets d on the advancing side of the coil.The cut and moistened tobacco is introduced into this drum through anopening 6 in the front head of the drum and is heated and disentangledwhile being tumbled about in the drum and is finally discharged from theopen rear end of the drum and delivered to a disentangling or combingmachine, which operates on the tobacco while the same is still heated.struoted as follows:

IOU

This machine is preferably con- 1 represents the frame of themaehine,which is arranged in rear of the heating-dru1n, and G is afeed-apron arranged underneath the tail end of the drum and passingaround rollers g g, journaled in the frame F.

II II represent two picker or retarding rollers which are journaledtransversely in the frame F and between which the tobacco is deliveredby the feed-apron G. The picker-rollers are separated a suitabledistance, and each roller is provided on its periphery with pins orteeth 71/, which pass freely between the teeth of the opposingpicker-roller. The pickerrollers are preferably so geared that theiropposing sides move forwardly and at the same speed.

I represents a combing-roller which is journaled transversely in theframe F in rear of the picker-rollers and which is provided on itsperiphery with teeth i,which pass freely between the teeth of bothpicker-rollers. The combing-roller rotates faster than thepickerrollers, whereby the more rapidly moving teeth of thecombing-roller comb out, separate, and loosen the aggregations of fibersor strands of tobacco.

J represents a delivery-apron which is arranged underneath thefeed-apromthe pickerrollers, and the combing-rollers and which receivesthe tobacco from the latter, together with any tobacco which may fallfrom the feed-apron and the picker-rollers and between the latter andthe combing-rollers.

In order to prevent cooling of the tobacco as it passes from the drierthrough this combing-machine, the latter is inclosed bya housin g K,which is provided on its front side with an opening K, through which thedelivery end of the drier projects, and on its rear side with an openingK through which the delivery-apron of the combing-machine delivers thetobacco. By inelosing the combing-111achine and the rear end of thedrier the space around the same is kept hot by the drier, and thetobacco is maintained in the proper pliable condition while beingoperated upon by the combing-machine.

For the purpose of permitting free access to all parts of thecombing-machine for cleaning the same the machine is preferablysupported by wheels L, attached to the frame of this machine and mountedon rails Z, which extend outside of the housing. The side wall ofthehousin g is pr vided above the rails with an opening m, through whichthe machine is moved and which is closed by a sliding door m.

0 represents a secondary heating-drum or drier, which is constructedlike the primary heating-drum and into which the tobacco is deliveredfrom the combing-machine. This drum dries any portion of the tobaccowhich is still moist after having passed through the primaryheating-drum and the combing-Inachine, and its combing-teeth serve tofurther loosen or disentangle the fibers of tobacco as the latter passesthrough the same. The tobacco, after passing through the secondaryheating-drum, may be delivered to a secondary combing-machine I. Thelatter is constructed like the primary combing-machine and. completesthe loosening of the fibers while the tobacco is still in a heated stateas it escapes from the secondary drier.

Cut tobacco prepared in this manner is composed of long fibers which areuniformly loosened and free from knots, lumps, or aggregations offibers.

lVe claim as our invention- 1. The herein-described method of looseningthe fibers of cut tobacco which consistsin heating the fibers andcarding, combing or disentan glin g the fibers while in aheated'condition, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a heating-drum having an inlet and a dischargefor the cut tobacco, of a combing-machine which receives the heatedtobacco from said drum, substantially as set forth.

The combination with a heating-drum having an inlet and a discharge forthe cut tobacco, of acombing-machine whichreccives the heated tobaccofrom said drum, and a housing which incloses the delivery end of saidheating-drum and said combing-machine, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with a heating-drum having an inlet and a dischargefor the cut tobacco, of a combing-machine which receives the heatedtobacco from said drum and a secondary heating-drum which receives thetobacco from said combing-machine, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with a heating-drum having an inlet and a dischargefortlie cut tobacco, of a combing-machine which receives the heatedtobacco from said drum, a secondary heating-drum which receives thetobacco from said combing-machine and a housing connecting said drumsand inelosing said combing-machine, substantially as set forth;

W'itness our hands this 8th day of May,

OSCAR W. ALLISON. CAROLINE ALLISON.

Witnesses:

JNO. J. BONNER, ELLA R. DEAN.

